Festival 2010 – «Exhibit! – scenography in exhibition design»

Current exhibition designs in natural history, archaeology and art museums, science parks and international expositions are the focus of the festival 2010. Curators and museum directors are invited to voice their thoughts as well as exhibition designers, museum architects, theorists and artists from the current exhibition discourse. Like Robert Wilson, Volker Lösch or Achim Freyer at the festival 2008 for the «performing arts», in 2010 there will again be guests who will not be present so soon again in Basel and before an illustrious international public.

Scenographers work within the paradox of the “staged authenticity”, they develop new forms of dramatizing public performances. They can be found as creators in numerous contexts, from trade fair presentations to state visits, from architecture as branding to museums of company history, from festivals and sports events to national and world exhibitions, science parks or shopping malls. The circle can be closed with thematic exhibitions like for example on the myth of the Titanic.

The subject of the festival 2010 will be exhibiting in and around museums. The variety of exhibition fields will be practically unlimited: Exhibits of particular aspects of history and their special fields, culturally inclined exhibitions, art exhibitions, presentations of archaeological finds, of products from the arts and crafts or from ethnic art to scientific or technically biased exhibitions. Exhibiting in and around museums is to be taken literally: Exhibits are set up around the museum as well – from “street art” to the “guerilla store”. Additionally, trade fair presentations, which present and display sales goods by trade, industry or service providers for their commercialization, will be included. Contributions to the World Fairs will also be presented – 2010 is Expo year in Shanghai – where the center of attention is on international work in technical and arts and crafts fields.